Toddler in ICU recovering from scorpion sting

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A toddler is recovering in the ICU after being stung by a bark scorpion nearly a week ago.

“I think we are all pretty traumatized,” Soraya Parrino said.

Her 18-month-old son Sonny was stung by a bark scorpion on Saturday at their home in Las Vegas.

“They are saying this is one of the worst cases they’ve seen because he is so little,” she said.

She said she noticed something was wrong with his finger.

“He was just sitting up, started crying more and more and more, I was in the bathroom getting ready to change into my pajamas, and then I could hear him gagging, gasping for air,” she said.

Parrino initially thought he was choking on a balloon.

“Within a couple minutes he started, like, just tensing up and stretching, growling, just getting very angry,” she said.

Sonny was then rushed to the emergency room.

“Within four minutes they were saying, ‘No, there’s a clear pathway. We don’t think anything is lodged in his throat. He is exhibiting signs of a scorpion bite,’” she said.

Parrino said her family found the scorpion underneath their dining room table.

Bark scorpions are nocturnal and are nonaggressive unless provoked. Parrino believes her son may have touched it.

The desert dwellers release neurotoxins that affect the nervous system.

Symptoms of a bark scorpion sting include numbness, tingling, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath. Someone suffering from a bark scorpion sting may also begin frothing at the mouth and exhibit paralysis or seizure-like symptoms.

Scorpion stings are typically treated with Anascorp, an intravenous antivenom.

Parrino is sharing her story to advise other parents to be more cautious around their homes.

“I keep up with the cleaning. We don’t have a lot of clutter, and it still happened, so just be mindful of that,” she said.

Parrino said Sonny is doing better, and they are expecting an update sometime this week on whether his breathing tube can be removed.

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